


GERMAN 
TECHNICAL SCHOOLS 

by 
VICTOR G. ALDERSON 

Dean 

of 
Armour Instituto of Technology 



German 
Xechnical Schools 



BY 



VICTOR C. ALDERSON 



Dean 

OF 

Armour Institute of Technology. 



\^Reprinted from the Chicago Inter Ocean, Nov. J, igoi,'\ 



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H. F. WEBER, of Zurich. 




W. C. RONTGEN, of Munich. F. KOHLRAUSCH, of Berlin. 

THREE DISTINGUISHED ELECTRICAL SAVANTS. 



German Technical Schools. 



To what extent is the commercial and industrial success of 
a nation dependent upon technical education? In these days of 
sharp competition, of small margins, of rapid distribution of 
commodities, when our antipodes of yesterday are our neigh- 
bors of to-day, when the entire world is the market for the man- 
ufacturer, what emphasis is to be given to technical training? 
These are formidable questions. The nation which answers them 
successfully will gain industrial supremacy. Other elements, as 
wages, CO operation, labor unions, tariff and taxation, certainly 
enter as influential factors; but not one of them has such trans- 
cendent importance as that training of the individual which 
enables him to produce the most in the least time, at the small- 
est cost and in the most artistic manner. 

That Germany believes in technical education is attested 
by the large number of technical schools of all grades within 
her borders and the enormous sums of money which she has 
spent upon them. The highest type of these schools is desig- 
nated as a Technische Hochschule, but is not what we call a 
a technical high school — rather a techni-cal college, an Institute 
of Technology or a school of engineering, that is, a technical 
school of college rank. These schools are located at the capitals 
of the various German states and are supported by the states 
themselves, not by the imperial government. Not a little jeal- 
ousy exists among them. While at the Hanover Technische 
Hochschule I was unwise enough to refer to the Berlin Tech- 
nische Hochschule as the best in Germany. I was immediately, 
though politely, informed that the Berlin school was larger, not 
better, than the Hanover school. Munich also claims the very 
best Technische Hochschule, and points with pride to the large 
number of foreign students attracted to her school. Be that as 
it may, there is not a poor, weak, nor ill-equipped Technische 
Hochschule in Germanv. The variations are those of excel- 



lence and not of mediocrity. The chief schools are located at 
Berlin, Carlsruhe, Munich, Dresden, Stuttgart, Hanover and 
Darmstadt. 

Berlin established in 1799 a small, unprepossessing trade 
or building school, which has since developed into the greatest 
of the German Technischen Hochschulen. For three-quarters 
of a century it had a slow but steady growth, training young 
men in the practical arts and aiding the development of the in- 
dustrial resources of Prussia. It was fortunately guided by 
able Rectors like Beuth, Grund and Lucae. By 1879 it had 
grown so influential that it was reorganized and renamed as 
the Koeniglische Technische Hochschule. In 1884 the present 
mammoth building at Charlottenburg, a suburb of Berlin, was 
occupied. Hither are attracted students of all ages, notably 
army and naval officers, and the average age is much higher 
than in American schools. During the winter term of last year 
4441 students were enrolled. Since 1885 the faculty has been 
increased from 79 to 153. The library contains 54,000 volumes. 

All of the departments are strong, but the school is especi 
ally noted for its excellent work in steam engineering, for here 
was designed and built the exhaust steam engine which has 
raised the efficiency of the steam engine from twelve to eighteen 
per cent. For this great engineering feat the laboratory has 
won a world-wide reputation. Prof. E. Josse, who has charge of 
the instruction in steam engineering, informed me that fully 500 
students per week receive instruction in this laboratory alone. 
The equipment is all that could be desired. Commercial test- 
ing is a matter of great importance in this school. During my 
visit a steam turbine test was in progress and an automobile 
was patiently awaiting its turn. Professors regard this work as 
professional practice, just as doctors, who are professors in 
medical schools, have an outside practice. The technical school 
allows the professors free use of the laboratories, but assumes 
no responsibility for the accuracy of the results or opinions 
expressed. 




ELECTROTECIiNICAL INSTITUTE AT CARLSRUHE- 



The Carlsruhe Technische Hochschule owes its existence 
to one man, Karl Friedrich Nebenius, Minister of the Interior 
for the Grand Duchy of Baden. On October 24, 1821, J. J. 
Schnell, a merchant of Nuremberg, wrote him as follows: 
"Knowledge of, and insight into, the most approved methods 
of manufacture are the first conditions for commercial success. 
We must give our common people that same training in tech- 
nical details that the English and the French give if we are to 
produce as good articles. With the welfare of our Fatherland 
in mind, I have developed a plan for a Polytechnicum for my 
own city of Nuremberg. " The hint was suiticient. By 1825 Ne- 
benius had succeeded, under the patronage of the Grand Duke, 
in establishing a Technical School at Carlsruhe. This was re 
organized and enlarged in 1832. It was again enlarged in 1863, 
and in 1885 was raised to the rank of a Technische Hochschule. 

In its early days the guiding spirit was Nebenius, who, as 
Minister of the Interior, had general supervision of its work. 
For educational acumen, for wise foresight, and for keen insight 
into the relation between technical education and national pros- 

7 



perit}^ Nebenius was indeed a remarkable man. In 1833 he 
published a book on '^Technical education in its relation to 
general education, with special reference to the Carlsruhe Poly- 
technic." Herein he expressed views that have a very modern 
sound; national wealth can be increased in no better way than 
b}^ spreading abroad useful scientific knowledge; a higher tech- 
nical education breaks down the prejudice against manual labor; 
technical training should be rated at par with university train- 
ing; scientific education gives a cultural training peculiar to 
itself, but as valuable as the culture resulting from classical 
training. These ideas are not uncommon now, but were epoch 
making in the early thirties. So great was the genius of Neben- 
ius, that he gave to the Carlsruhe school a character and a 
dignity which it has maintained to this day. When he died, in 
1857, the entire school followed his body to the grave and called 
him ''Vater." 

Over the entrance to the main building, which was erected 
as early as 1836, are life-size statues of Kepler, and Erwin of 
Steinbach. In the vestibule is a tablet recording the names of 
the students who fell in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71, for 
the Germans never forget to honor their military heroes. The 
buildings for architecture, civil, mechanical, electrical and chem- 
ical engineering, and forestry, together with the old main build- 
ing and the librar}^, are arranged about an open court in the 
center of which is a bust of Prof. Ferdinand Redtenbacher, the 
great engineer, who died in 1867. Within the last few years 
new and elaborate buildings for electricity and chemistry., a 
modern power plant, and an extensive botanical garden have 
been added. The Grand Duchy of Baden, of which Carlsruhe 
is the capital, is justly proud of its school and spends money 
upon it with a lavish hand. The new Aula is one of the most 
beautiful in Germany. About 1200 students now attend the 
school. 









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TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AT MUNICH, AND STATUE OF OHM. 



Two years after the organization of the school at Carlsruhe 
a Central Polytechnic school was founded in Munich. In 1833 
a Technische Hochshule was organized in connection with the 
faculty of the University of Munich. In 184.0 the character of 
the school was improved by the introduction of engineering 
courses. In 1868, by governmental action, a reorganization of 
the existing Polytechnic schools of Munich, Nuremberg and 
Augsburg was effected with the Technische Hochschule at 
Munich. Since this time the character of the school has re- 
mained unchanged. The main building was then erected, a 
beautiful brick edifice in the Italian Renaissance style. 

The instruction in civil engineering is thorough, and the 
equipment is all that could be desired. Great rooms packed 
with models of pontoon bridges, arches, earthworks, light- 
houses, dams and the like; cabinets of building stone and 
cement; ordinary planimeters and current velocity measurers by 
the dozen; scores of levels, transits and theodolites; all attest 
the importance of this subject. In mechanical engineering the 
museum equipment is rich in kinematical models, besides a very 
complete line of models of railroad switches, locomotives, tur- 
bines, valve gears, governors, pumps and the like. Altogether 
the Munich Technische Hochschule is an admirable institution, 
and the local authorities may well dispute the claim that other 
schools surpass it in efficiency. 



Munich has for many years been a favorite spot for Rus- 
sian students. Twenty years ago Russia was dependent upon 
French and German engineers for her best ideas. But so many 
Russian students have received their training at Munich that 
she is to-day independent of foreign engineering schools. In 
fact, the Munich Technische Hochschule is so popular with 
foreigners that it is now badly crowded; even the hallways are 
used for laboratories. The school is troubled with the difficult- 
ies that come from success. The native students complain that 
they are crowded out of their own school and that the public 
mone}^ is being used to educate their industrial rivals. A peti- 
tion from the students to the faculty for more stringent rules 
against foreigners has been acted upon favorabl}^ and fewer 
foreigners will henceforth be admitted. This action was aimed 
especially at the Russian students. 

The first technical school in Saxony was the -''Technische 
Bildungsanstalt " located on the Bruhl Terrace in Dresden, 
overlooking the river Elbe. This was a small, unimportant 
school, but grew steadily until it was given larger quarters in 
1833 and again in 1846. In 1851, by Royal decree, it was reor- 
ganized and named the Royal Polytechnic School. Again in 1855 
it was reorganized with higher aims, and was given professional 
standing by the introduction of engineering courses of study. 
Finally, in 1875, the present extensive building was provided, 
and in 1890 it was reorganized as a distinct Technische Hoch- 
schule. In 1890 the title of Magnificus was conferred upon the 
Rector by King. Albert of Saxony, and the school was permitted 
to grant the degree of Doctor of Engineering. 

The Technische Hochschule of Stuttgart had more difficul- 
ties to contend with than the schools of Berlin, Carlsruhe or 
Munich. Its development has at least one mceresting feature 
in the realm of technical education. In 1829 two higher classes 
were added to the Realschule of Munich; this was combined 
with an art school then existing; to this combination trade school 
features were added, the aim being to combine in one school all 
the fundamental, artistic and scientific instruction needed for 
technical pursuits. In practice, however, this heterogeneous 
combination of art, real and trade schools was found to be un- 
satisfactor3^ It lived but three years. In 1832 the schools 



were separated, and an independent artisan school was formed. 
The wisdom of this act was immediately apparent. From that 
time on the school flourished, and in 1840 it was elevated to the 
rank of a Polytechnic. Lower classes were now abandoned and 
evening school classes abolished. In 1862 it became a Tech ■ 
nische Hochschule of the highest rank. The main building, 
which the school now occupies, an imposing structure in the 
Italian Renaissance style, overlooking the beautiful Stadtgarten, 
was first erected in 1865 and enlarged in 1879. On either side 
of the entrance are statues of the artist Durer and the astron- 
omer Kepler. The upper stories are adorned with Corinthian 
columns, between which are allegorical statues representing the 
different professions for which technical education prepares a 
student. Beside these are allegorical representations of Art 
and Science and medallion portraits of famous scientists, engi- 
neers, architects and mathematicians. 

Like other German technical schools, the Technische 
Hochschule at Hanover had a humble origin, being developed 
from a trade school founded in 1831. In accordance with the 
demands of the time it developed into a Poh^technic School in 
1847, and in 1879 was raised to the rank of a Technische 
Hochschule. The building which the school now occupies is 
very different from that occupied by any other technical school 
in Germany: it is the imposing Welfenschloss or Palace of the 
Guelphs, a beautiful building in the Romanesque style, trans- 
formed in 1878-80 for the purposes of the school. The external 
decorations of fine tow^ers, statues of Henry the Lion, Ernest 
the Confessor, the Elector Ernest Augustus and King Ernest 
Augustus, and friezes representing scenes from Northern Myth- 
ology, do not suggest the purpose for which the building is 
used. Hanover itself is a cit}^ unaffected b}' the foreign visitor. 
The German spoken here is claimed to be the purest in Germany, 
and the school, too, reflects the accuracy and thoroughness of 
all things German. Of the 1550 students, only 133 come from 
foreign countries, and of these only 9 are from America. The 
courses offered are those ordinaril}^ given in other schools. The 
equipment is extensive, complete and thoroughly German. 
Other technical schools may surpass it in special departments, 
but for all around excellence it certainly stands in the front 
rank. 



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ELECTRICAL AND CHEMICAL INSTITUTES AT DARMSTADT. 



The history of the Darmstadt school falls easily into three 
periods. The first period extends from its establishment as a 
higher trade school in 1836 to its organization as a "Technische 
Schule" in 1864. The second period extends from 1864 to its 
second reorganization in 1868 as a Technische Hochschule, 
Since 1868 it has maintained this rank — the highest yet obtained 
by any German technical school. Darmstadt is, and has good 
reason to be, proud of its Technische Hochschule. It is beauti- 
fully located in the Herrengarten in close proximity to the 
Royal Palace, the theater, and the museum The main building 
was erected at a cost of $278,000. In 1894 a new building for 
physics and electrical engineering was erected at a cost of 
$140,000. The next year, 1895, the new building for chemistry 
was built at a cost of $105,000. Other expenses connected 
with the erection of these new buildings amounted to $135,000. 
The total amount which Darmstadt has expended in this single 
school in recent years reaches the astonishing figure of $658,000. 
It must also be remembered that this expense was incurred by 
only one of the many German states. The other states have 
been fully as liberal in providing for technical education. 



The birth of the German Empire in 1871 was the signal 
for the beginning of an industrial revival in every one of the 
German states. This revival was unmistakably due to the great 
impetus then given to every form of technical instruction. 
Each one of the Technischen Hochschulen shows a marked gain 
in efficiency of instruction, in equipment, and in the character 
and number of the students. German3''s bill for technical edu- 
cation during the past thirt}^ )'ears has been enormous, but she 
has raised herself to the front place in the industrial and com- 
mercial world. The price paid has not been too great, for in 
1898 the working power was equivalent to 900 foot tons daily 
per inhabitant, against 600 foot tons in 1875; so that it can be 
said with safety that two Germans can now do the same amount 
that three could twenty five years ago. 

Along with the growth of the higher technical schools, an 
antagonism has been engendered between them and the older 
universities. The new life infused into Germany after its uni- 
fication spent its full force upon technical education; the univer- 
sities were barely affected by it. They remained stationary 
while other forms of education advanced. The professional 
engineers consequently began to look with contempt upon the 
university training, believing, as they did, in the application of 
knowledge rather than its mere acquirement. The general trend 
of the instruction in the technical schools has been towards a 
restriction of the more theoretical parts and aij insistence upon 
application and altogether towards bringing education into 
closer connection with practical needs. The universities, on 
the other hand, have devoted themselves exclusively to theoret- 
ical training and original research. They have critics in their 
own ranks. Prof. Riedler has scoffed at the higher mathemat- 
ics of the universities, where ''dimensions cease and manifold- 
nesses begin," and where the student learns useless ''gymnas- 
tics in four dimensions." Prof. Felix Klein, of the University 
of Gottingen, probably the greatest living mathematician, has 
also come forth with some wise suggestions towards a closer 
union of theory and practice in university education. To him 
the man of science and the engineer are one, for both need to 
understand the practical aspects of nature and are constantly 
inventing new methods of investigation. These suggestions, 
coming from a man who has done as much as Prof. Klein has 

13 



in the domain of pure mathematics, will have great weight in 
breaking down the supposed barriers between the man of pure 
science working in his laboratory and the engineer working to 
conquer nature on a larger scale. Intellectually, the Techni- 
schen Hochschulen are quite at par with the universities. It 
may be truthfull}' said that they have actuall}^ created industrial 
and commercial Germany, yet the universities have ruled it. 

The recent decree of the Emperor of Germany allowing the 
Technischen Hochschulen to confer the degree of Doctor of 
Engineeiing, and giving to the Rectors of these schools the title 
of Magnificus as well as court standing, has broken down the 
last barrier which kept the technical schools from having a uni- 
versity rank. Now that the Kaiser has spoken the word, all 
German)' will hasten to honor these schools and recognize their 
work. It should not be forgotten that this action on the part 
of the Kaiser was not reall)' a cause, but only an effect. For 
man)' 3'ears the various German states have been taxing them- 
selves heavil}' for the support of their Technischen Hochschulen 
and have raised them to a high state of efficienc}^, so that the 
Kaiser's word is only an official recognition of a state of things 
brought about by the people themselves. 

In regard to the question, not long ago debated between 
Prof. N. S. Shaler of Harvard and the late President Walker of 
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as to whether an 
engineering school should or should not be united with a univer- 
sity, Germany seems never to have had even a division. In 
every case the Technische Hochschule and the university are 
distinctly separate. In the United States excellent illustrations 
can be found of each method. Engineering schools, however, 
when a part of a universit}^, do suffer if the sentiment of the 
university is not in favor of applied science. Frequentl}^ the}^ 
are located in small towns remote from centers of engineering 
activity, of industrial progress, and of capital. This is not the 
case in Europe. Technical schools of the lower grade are loca- 
ted at the center of the industry which the school subserves, and 
the Technischen Hochschulen are in the large centers of pop- 
ulation. A university like Jena may thrive in a little town, but 
an engineering school should be located where the students can 
daily see the results of their lecture room and laboratory prac 
tice carried out on a commercial scale. Some American schools 



of technology and all of the European schools are so located. 

For architectural beauty, for attractive location and gen- 
erally finished appearance, the European schools surpass, with 
perhaps one or two exceptions, anything we have in America. 
With us it is exceptional to find a technical school located in a 
really beautiful home. Generally plain brick walls, unadorned 
and unattractive, are deemed sufficient. In Europe, however, 
it is difficult to find a Technische Hochschule which has not an at- 
tractive appearance. In most cases, too, they excel the univer- 
sity buildings for beauty of finish and artistic appearance. 
Neither are these schools tucked away in the poorer quarters of 
the city where land is cheap, but they are located in the most 
desirable quarters. The Berlin Technische Hochschule, for in- 
stance, is located in the beautiful suburb of Charlottenburg, and 
is notable for its architecture. The main building encloses five 
courts; the central one is surrounded by arcades, with beautiful 
granite columns. Here is a bronze statue of Frederick William 
III. in classical costume, and busts of Beuth, Schinkel and other 
eminent teachers, life size statues of Alfred Shlutter and Leon- 
ardo da Vinci, besides mural decorations illustrating the appli- 
cation of science to industry. The school at Munich faces the 
great art galleries of that city, and is remarkable for its beauti- 
ful columns, its stately hallways, its imposing entrance, the 
landscape features surrounding the buildings, and the noble 
statue erected to the memory of the physicist George Simon 
Ohm. The Hanover school is housed in a royal palace in the 
famous Herrenhauser Allee, an avenue 360 feet wide, over- 
arched by beautiful lime trees. The Stuttgart school is on the 
delightful Stadtgarten, and the school at Dresden is located in 
the most desirable residence quarter of that city. All this be- 
speaks the high regard felt both for the schools and for the 
work they do. 

For collections of models, museums and general features of 
display, we have nothing to compare with the elaborate exhibi- 
bitions of the European technical schools. No school there 
seems to be complete without a museum, and in some of the 
smaller schools it takes the place of a laboratory. When a 
museum can be made an influential factor in the regular instruct- 
ion of a school it is no doubt an excellent adjunct, but I fear 
that the German propensit}^ for museum display has gone so 

15 



far as to collect vast quantities of material primarily for the 
admiration of visitors, and not for the education of the stu- 
dents. Last summer I walked for miles, I might say, through 
museums of engineering models, and through scores of drafting 
rooms, but not in a single instance did I see models, blue prints 
or trade catalogues in a drafting room. Yet in American tech- 
nical schools the drafting rooms are frequently lined with models 
of shaft governors, engines, steam pumps and the like, mounted 
and sectioned for the students' use, besides large collections of 
blue prints and trade catalogues donated by engineering and 
manufacturing firms. The Germans have yet to learn that such 
appliances surpass any text book yet written. Herein lies the 
essential difference between the German and the American 
engineering educational practice. 

The German schools are certainly more advanced in theory 
than ours are, but we as surely excel them on the practical side, 
and more especially in that portion of engineering education 
which is of more value than either theory or practice — the com- 
bination of the two from which results the successful engineer. 
One reason for our superiority is, of course, the native Amer- 
ican tendency to apply knowledge as soon as acquired; another 
is the incorporation of shop work, as pattern making, forging, 
machine tool work and foundry pra.ctice, into our curricula. 
This is not done in Germany as completely as we do it. The 
students' actual shop practice is obtained generally by appren- 
tice work in commercial shops. But this gives only a one-sided 
training, and cannot be compared with the thorough practical 
education our young men get in college shops which are 
managed upon an educational and not on a commercial basis 
It is also true that our engineering laboratory practice is superior 
to the European. This is due to the fact that laboratories 
have only recently been introduced into the foreign schools, and 
are very largely, though not exclusively, used by the professors 
for their private practice. This brings the school into close 
contact with the industrial world, and gives the professors 
a great reputation, but does not increase the students' efficiency. 
As in the case of shops, the American engineering laboratory is 
operated upon an educational basis; commercial tests are a 
second consideration. In Europe commercial tests have been 
regarded as of the first consequence, and not till very re- 

i6 



cently have the educational needs of the students been recog- 
nized. 

Granting all the excellent qualities which the German 
Technischen Hochschulen possess, it must be admitted that 
they have faults which we as Americans should avoid. These 
faults are not great, but they certainly mar what would other- 
wise be an almost perfect system. The general attitude of the 
professors does not bring out the best qualities of the student. 
The professors are, indeed, very learned; they are looked up to 
with great respect; they enjoy a lucrative professional practice; 
they teach by lecture only and impart such bits of knowledge as 
the student can assimilate. The development of the innate 
powers of the student so that he may be an original, independent 
thinker and worker seems farthest from their purpose. Yet this 
is the very purpose of the American technical school. The 
German methods of instruction, furthermore, savor of the mathe- 
matician's study and the librarian's corner, rather than of actual 
field, shop, or laboratory practice. The scientific side of engin- 
eering is taught so completely that the students have little time 
or inclination to put into practice the theories they have learned. 
While the German professor will utterly exhaust the theory, and, 
from a mathematical or scientific point of view, leave nothing 
to be desired, the American professor will expound some theory 
and then put it into practice; expound more theory and put this 
into practice, and so on. The latter, of course, is the better plan, 
for while it is true that good engineering practice must event- 
ually depend upon correct mathematical and scientific princi- 
ples, yet in actual life engineering practice involves experience, 
judgment as to ways and means and economic necessities that 
must not be neglected. These elements the Germans, to a 
large extent, ignore. Time also seems to them an unlimited 
quantity; repose is a national virtue; consequently their draft- 
ing is superb as finished products of their skill and patience, 
but their draftsmen are sadly lacking in originality and inven- 
tion. We should expect to find, and do find, that their actual 
laboratory and shop instruction is inferior to our own, with pos- 
sibly the exception of chemical engineering. This, however, 
suggests a field in which they are distinctly our superiors — 
chemistry and chemical engineering. To no single branch of 
science does Germany owe more of her national prosperity than 

17 



fa chemistry. Of late she has united engineering to this sub- 
ject, and now offers exceptional facilities for young men to 
become at once chemists and engineers. American training 
schools have quickly seized upon this new idea, and courses in 
chemical engineering are now being offered. It is only fair to 
admit in discussing the shortcomings of the German schools, 
that their methods certainly do enable them to excel us in the 
manufacture of such articles as can be made more valuable by 
the artist's touch. But in such as can be made by the thousands 
all alike, useful but not necessarily artistic, we certainly excel 
her. 

The German technical schools can best be understood by com- 
paring them with the Polytechnicum at Zurich and contrasting 
them with the Central Technical College at London. 

The Federal Polytechnicum at Zurich, which in Switzerland 
corresponds to the German Technische Hochschule, has per- 
haps the broadest curriculum and the most humanitarian spirit 
of any European technical school. The entire ensemble of the 
school bespeaks scientific and technical enlightenment, besides 
thorough general culture. In no other school that I visited was 
the atmosphere so thoroughly cultural and uplifting, so likely 
to produce high minded men as at Zurich. At the same time 
no technical school in Europe has so large a proportion of its 
graduates holding positions of responsibility, nor does any 
school attract a larger number of foreigners. This should be a 
matter of special significance to those who are guiding the des- 
tinies of technical education in America. To us it means that 
we must train our young men to be not only engineers, but cul- 
tivated gentlemen as well. The reason for this peculiarity in 
the Zurich Polytechnicum is easy to see. The constitution of 
1848 gave to the Federal Legislature authority to establish both 
a Polytechnic school and a university. In 1851 a commission 
was appointed which recommended a university at Zurich and a 
Polytecnicum in one of the Italian Cantons. The report met 
with opposition in the Legislature, and only one school was 
established at Zurich, to be called the Federal Polytechnicum. 
The advocates for a university had sufficient power, however, to 
give the school a broad scope and many university features. It 
was the only Continental technical school to be founded on a 
high university plane, and this rank it has ever since maintained. 

18 



Here we find, in addition to the regular engineering work, ex- 
tensive mineralogical, geological, zoological, paleontological, 
architectural and archaeological collections, admirable for their 
extent and usefulness. The main building is now comparatively 
old, being erected in 1864. There are busts of Kopp and Bolly, 
the chemists, Culman, the noted engineer, and of Orelli, the 
philologist. Within the last ten years the work of the school 
has grown to such dimensions that new and spacious buildings 
have been erected for mechanical, chemical and electrical engi- 
neering. The building for mechanical engineering is a model 
in its way. The steam engineering laboratory is located in a 
wing on the ground floor, and is equipped with every appliance 
needed to make instruction effective. The museum contains 
upwards of three thousand kinematical and engineering models, 
making it probably the best in Europe. The drawing-rooms 
contained a feature which is worthy of imitation. It is a well 
known fact that direct light is injurious to the eyes, especially 
lor draftsmen, who are compelled to spend long hours at their 
work. A simple device has been introduced here which gives 
complete satisfaction. Enclosed arc lights are used, but be- 
neath each one is an inverted porcelain shade which sends the 
rays of light, not down upon the table, but up to the ceiling. 
The ceiling is corrugated so that the rays of light are reflected 
back to the drawing tables. This gives a soft diffused light not 
harmful to the eyes. Within the last year has been added a 
department for the complete and systematic test of building 
materials of all kinds. The work is conducted in a new and 
separate building, equipped with the latest and best types of 
testing machines. This is a feature which American technical 
schools can copy with great profit to themselves, the engineering 
profession, and the country at large. There is to-day no greater 
opportunity^ open to high-grade technical schools than this. At 
no place in the United States, within the knowledge of the 
writer, is this work carried on in a broad, S3^stematic and 
thorough manner. Yet the results of such tests, if made on a 
commercial scale, would be of value to builders, architects and 
engineers everywhere. 

The Central Technical College of London is the youngest of 
the great European technical schools. The first movement to- 
wards its foundation was made in 1876, but it was not founded 



till 1878, incorporated in 1880, and instruction began in 1885. 
The courses of stud}^ comprise civil, mechanical and electrical 
engineering and chemistry, and extend over a period of three 
years. The entrance examinations are rigid and the require- 
ments high. Accommodations are provided for about 250 
students, but 281 were enrolled last year. The gross expendit- 
ure for the year igoo was only $60,560. The net expense, after 
deducting students' fees and other means of revenue, was but 
128,460. Besides the Central Technical only two other schools, 
University College and King's College, give higher engineering 
instruction. Finsbury Technical College trains boys from 13 to 
16 years of age to enter industrial pursuits, and the many Poly- 
technics have a bowing acquaintance with engineering work. 
This enumeration fairly exhausts the opportunities in London 
whereby a young man can get an education in the applied scien- 
ces. If he desires thorough, high grade work, he is limited to 
the first three, Central Technical, University and King's Col- 
leges. But in each of these the tuition is high, the accommoda- 
tions meager, and the equipment, though good, is limited. An 
addition to the Central Technical College will be ready for use 
this autumn. It is a lamentable fact that the provision for 
engineering education in London is totally inadequate. In this 
great city of 6,000,000 people barely 600 students a year are pro- 
vided with engineering instruction of an advanced character. In 
this great metropolis, which contains more engineers of every 
class than any other city in the world, and where there is the 
greatest demand for their services not only at home but in 
foreign enterprises financed in London, the provision for their 
education is comparatively nothing. Any one of the German 
Technische Hochschulen which I have described, with far less 
reason for existence, has a larger equipment, is more expensive 
to maintain, covers a broader field of work, and is better 
fitted to exert a powerful influence upon the profession and 
the industries than the best technical school in London. 
Not only are the few schools now in the field inadequate 
for the purpose, but many fields of engineering education are 
entirely bare. Absolutely no provision is made for teaching 
marine engineering, naval architecture, railway engineering, 
municipal engineering, or architecture. These are departments 
of the utmost consequence for the continued prosperity of 



London, yet she allows her young men to pick up their train- 
ing in the old-fashioned way and if she needs a really capable 
man, she must import him from German}', Switzerland or 
America. London has received no greater shock recently than 
to wake up and find that the equipment of the new "twopenny 
tube " as the Underground Railway is called, was almost entirely 
American. The error which Englishmen make in this whole 
field of technical education is a failure to recognize the differ- 
ence between the skilled workman and the professional engineer. 
She has been endeavoring to compete with the highly trained 
scientific experts of Germany and America by simply educating 
the hand, training artisans in the belief that she was making 
professional engineers. Not until England is dotted with large 
and flourishing schools like the Central Technical of London, 
not until the English realize the necessity of training both the 
hand and the head, and not until she perceives the full value of 
high grade engineering education will she be safe from the intru- 
sion of German and American engineers who have had a thorough 
engineering training. 

It is patent even to the casual observer that the present 
industrial eminence of Germany is due to her fostering care of 
technical education. The alarm felt in England over the threat- 
ened loss of her supremacy is undoubtedly due to her general 
neglect of this same subject. To be sure the Germans are ex- 
cessively theoretical and visionary, traits which are reflected 
in her schools; the English, on the other liand, depend too 
much on mere shop practice, unfortified by scientific training. 
The middle ground is undoubtedly the better one. That is the 
position taken in the United States to-da3^ More theoretical 
than the Briton, more practical than the Teuton, the American 
can in efficiency excel either. This characteristic is also re- 
flected in our technical education. Our schools teach the 
scientific basis of engineering better than the English do and the 
practical application better than the Germans. Though we 
have the vantage ground, we should not rest satisfied. Tech- 
nical education in this country is still in its infancy. Every 
great center of population should have its high grade technical 
college; every industry should have its own trade school; manual 
training, elementary science work and drawing should be essen- 
tial parts of the public school system from the kindergarten up. 



No bill for education can be too expensive if the money is 
judiciously expended for technical instruction. If our country 
is to become and remain a world power our plain duty is to care 
for the technical training of all our people. 



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